This I Believe

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ because He rescued me at a very difficult time in my life. Through my years of experiencing life’s ups and downs, heartaches and pains, I have come to realize that life is more than what it seems. I was a victim of verbal abuse by family and schoolmates. I was so affected by the abuse that it sometimes had me suicidal, and I lived most of my life as the Grinch hating everyone. However, I have learned that there is a choice you can make, and I gained this knowledge by getting to know Jesus Christ. Through the teachings of Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, I now know that I can handle any situation.

Growing up in a poverty-stricken family, there were times when we did not eat for days and the electricity turned off because there was no money for the bill. I had a deadbeat dad for a father. He made plenty of money, but he would not give a dime in child support. He never spent any time with his children, and he never called or sent a letter saying, “I love you” to any of us. My mother stressed out, having been forced to raise seven children alone, verbally abused us with comments such as “get your ugly, black dumb ass out of my face,” or “you ain’t never be nothing with your stupid self.” Not knowing how deeply those comments hurt me; nevertheless, the hardest ridicule was at school where the children would constantly tease me about my unfashionable hairstyles and my hand-me-down clothes. I developed low self-esteem and believed everything that was said about me. Consequently, between the ages of seventeen to twenty-five, I began to search for love, affection and security in all the wrong places. At that time, I had the finest housing, clothing and money, but I still felt a void in my life. I thought by having all these material things my life would be complete.

When I found out that material things were not the answer, I started searching for more. It was not until I developed a strong belief in Jesus Christ that my life began to change. When I started to study the word of God in the Bible, I found out that there was a solution for every problem. My heart, my mind, and my soul had been enlightened with the understanding of the word of God. This caused me to think differently about myself. No longer did I see myself as black, ugly, and dumb. Rather, I saw myself as the word of God sees me carefully, intricately and wonderfully made, more than a conqueror and able to accomplish anything I set my hands to do. As a believer, my faith, confidence and trust solely depend on Jesus Christ. In the face of all opposition, I believe that God has taken me from that person with low self-esteem who believed that she was dumb and ugly to become a person who believes she is an educated, beautiful, self-confident woman. Moreover, I am a firm believer that God (Jesus Christ) has a purpose and destiny for me. He wants me to help others who are experiencing or who have experienced the same pains as me, and to teach them how to recover. He has also taught me that I am empowered to prosper spiritually, physically, and financially. No longer do I live in poverty, no longer am I missing love and affection, and I feel safe and secure knowing that Jesus is the Lord of my life.

The best part about Jesus Christ is that He does not discriminate. What He has done for me, He can also do for others, only if they believe in Jesus Christ.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God. Click here to read his essay.